


Like a Doll

by Flammenkobold



Series: TMA Ep100 countdown [1]
Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Body Horror, Gen, Spiders
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-31
Updated: 2018-03-31
Packaged: 2019-04-16 04:39:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14156931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flammenkobold/pseuds/Flammenkobold
Summary: After she'd won Nikola declared him pretty, like a doll, but she grew tired of him as she did with all her toys.Written for the Ep100 Countdown at Piles of Nonsense on Tumblr.





	Like a Doll

Nikola declared him pretty. “Like a doll,” she'd said and turned him into one, after the world was remade and the Institute had fallen. Once she grew bored of him she'd discarded him like a doll too - but not before breaking his artificial body, the last fun she had with him. Tim doesn't know how long he's been lying in the pit, among all the other broken things, some of them once human like him, most not, when something else takes notice of him.

There is shuffling and a something moving jerkily across the broken bits and pieces around him, in the dark of the night. Nikola left him his eyes, the only remaining thing from his original body, the only thing that remains working, and he can't see well with them. Might as well, he thinks, nothing more horrible to see anyway. Though he wished he could see whatever was going to hopefully finally kill him. 

Something – someone – is scavenging, it does so almost too quietly too hear but any disturbance in the pit is noticeable.

A figure moves into his field of vision and despite the weird angles of its limbs and distorted movement that don't quite resemble those of a human, Tim almost imagines it looks familiar. He blinks and tries to focus his eyes more, and the small motion alone is enough to make the figure notice him and draw closer.

It's only when it's almost right in front of him that Tim can make out the features of a face he has not thought he would ever see again. Martin Blackwood blinks curiously at him, his head turning at an odd angle as he cocks it to inspect the broken giant doll he must see.

Tim tries to say something, but his jaw hangs precariously on one rusted angle and the voice Nikola gifted him is almost used up anyway.

“Do I know you?” Martin whispers in a voice that is his, despite the inflection being more drawn out than Tim remembers. Then again none of them is human anymore, not in this world. Nothing human could survive this long. He wonders which power claimed sweet Martin as its own, now that the Beholding has no grasp on anyone anymore.

Tim blinks slowly, only now realising that his vision has gone blurry. 

Martin lifts a hand and runs it over Tim's cheek and for the first time in what might be years he notices that he still can feel something. The deep, once all-encompassing pain has become nothing but background noise that doesn't register anymore. The soft touch to his plastic skin still does.  


“You're crying,” Martin mutters in surprise and then his eyes sweep down to the dislocated jaw. “Wait a second, I have an idea,” he says and his hand traces lines over Tim's face until he realises that it isn't just Martin's fingers anymore, but thousands of tiny legs. Of course, he thinks and wants to laugh, of course.

Spider silk stitches his jaw up, draws it back into place until it holds, until Tim can open and close his mouth again and a distorted groan escapes the mockery of a voice box he has. 

“There you go,” Martin says beaming at him. 

“Martin,” he tries. It sounds like a string doll's recorded message. “Martin,” he tries again and again and again.

Martin looks at him in surprise and worry and finally in delight.

“Tim,” he finally breathes. “Oh Tim,” he says and his eyes turn sad at the sorry state his body is in. “What have they done to you?”

Tim tries to say more, but for now all he can do is say Martin's name again. Martin's hand comes up and cups the side of his face that wasn't broken.

“Don't worry, I'll fix you up,” he says softly and Tim believes him.   



End file.
